From Worship Christian worship is never a solitary undertaking. Both on its visible and invisible sides, it has a thoroughly social and organic character. The worshiper, however lonely in appearance, comes before God as a member of a great family; part of the Communion of Saints, living and [...]

From Be Thou My Breastplate Let the work of the church of God be in these hands. (Fursa’s Breastplate) Fursa’s prayer directs me to make myself relevant to the work of God. Today I am to ask God to entrust me with the church-building work of God’s choosing. This was Fursa’s prayer, and, in time, he was to gather pledged communities of soul-friends, working together to [...]

From Becoming Fire: Through the Year with the Desert Fathers and Mothers Sailors fighting a surging sea Amma Syncletica said, “In the world, those who sin, even involuntarily, are thrown into prison; as for us, on account of our sins let us imprison ourselves so that such voluntary judgment may drive off future punishment. Are you fasting? Do not pretend to be ill, for those who do not fast fall into real illnesses. Have you begun to do what is good? Do not fall back when the [...]

In Fairhope, Alabama, I grew up in a family of six where giving up something for Lent was an expectation, not a choice. A few days before Ash Wednesday, the dinner conversation revolved around one question: What are you giving up for Lent? As children, we sacrificed the usual suspects of chocolate, chips, ice cream, and TV. When my brother [...]